Nirmal Dass

Nirmal Dass currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. He holds a PhD in critical theory and is the author of five books of verse in translation. These include: The Avowing of King Arthur: A Modern Verse Translation; Rebuilding Babel: The Translations of W. H. Auden; and Songs of the Kabir from the Adi Granth, as well as a book-length study of the philosophy and practice of translation.

He is known to root around in dead languages—the deader the better, in fact.

City of Rains is an atmospheric page-turner, a wholly original perspective on Indian and Western history. It details the weariness and elation that accompany a man’s journey to accomplish greatness within himself, while reaching into the life experiences of others who are extraordinary in their small lives.

Dass creates a multi-layered quest through a narrator who boldly accepts and challenges his Indian heritage and is rewarded with truth and love. He learns that no man’s knowledge exeeds his experience.

With controlled ease, Nirmal Dass breaks free from the clichés of ‘compassionate realism’ and ‘historical narrative sweep’ — City of Rains is lush, quiet, artistic and liberating.